Delhi HC seeks presence of filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri in contempt case for remarks against judge
New Delhi, Mar 16: The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri to be present before it on April 10 in connection with a criminal contempt case related to his alleged remarks against a judge of the high court.
A bench headed by Justice Siddharth Mridul, which had earlier asked Agnihotri to appear before it on Thursday after he tendered an unconditional apology, exempted him from appearance after his counsel informed the court he was unwell.
In 2018, Agnihotri had allegedly put out tweets alleging bias against Justice S Muralidhar, who was then a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court and is currently the Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court, as he had released human rights activist Gautam Navlakha from house arrest in the Bhima Koregaon violence case.
Pursuant to the tweets, contempt of court proceedings were initiated against Agnihotri and others by the high court.
During the hearing, the bench, also comprising Justice Talwant Singh, remarked it was not "asking" the filmmaker to remain present on the next date of hearing but it has "directed" him to do so.
Tell him to remain present, the court told his lawyer.
On December 6 last year, the court had asked him to "show remorse in person" after he tendered an unconditional apology in the case through an affidavit.
"We are asking him (Agnihotri) to remain present because he is the alleged contemnor. Does he have any difficulty to appear before this court? He has to be present and show remorse in person," the court had said.
The lawyer appearing for another alleged contemnor Anand Ranganathan on Thursday said he will participate in the contempt proceedings.
Amicus curiae senior advocate Arvind Nigam said Ranganathan has made a tweet in relation to the contempt proceedings that he will go down fighting.
"This is not a civil war. I would go down fighting, I will go down with the ship. What is all of this? All we are asking is for you to appear and whatever response is available to you, please let us know," the bench remarked.
The court had initiated on its own the contempt proceedings in the present case after receiving a letter from senior advocate Rajshekhar Rao.
The contempt proceedings were also initiated against Swaminathan Gurumurthy, the editor of the Chennai-based weekly 'Thuglak' magazine, for his tweets against the judge.
Proceedings against Gurumurthy were subsequently closed in October 2019.
Rao, in his letter, had stated that the tweet was a deliberate attempt to attack a sitting high court judge.
Earlier, the high court had directed two social media platforms to block the web links of an offending article levelling scandalous allegations against the judge.
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India edges past Japan, ranks third on Asia Power Index of Australian think tank
New Delhi, Sep 25: India ranks third in the annual Asia Power Index, released by an Australian think-tank, surpassing Japan on the back of strong post-COVID 19 economic growth, while China's power appeared to plateau just below the United States.
The Sydney-based Lowy Institute has put the US at the top of its Asia Power Index with a score of 81.7, followed by China with a score of 72.7, India (39.1), Japan (38.9), Australia (31.9) and Russia (31.1).
The Index ranks 27 countries and territories in terms of their capacity to shape their external environment -- its scope reaching as far west as Pakistan, as far north as Russia and as far into the Pacific as Australia, New Zealand and the US.
The index has cited economic growth, future potential and diplomatic influence as key factors for India's rise. However, it has pointed out that New Delhi's clout remains below the potential promised by its resources.
"India has shown remarkable post-pandemic economic recovery, contributing to a 4.2-point rise in its economic capability. India's massive population and strong GDP growth reinforce its standing as the world's third-largest economy in PPP terms," the think tank has said.
It has noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership has garnered greater international recognition.
The think tank has said India's non-aligned strategic posture has allowed it to navigate complex international waters effectively.
It has said India's participation in dialogues as well as its leadership in the Quad has allowed New Delhi to play a significant role in regional security dynamics, albeit outside of formal military alliances.
